Today, fossil fuels are the principal energy source exploited by humans, above all in relation to the noteworthy possibility of use for numerous purposes and to the usability thereof through simple machinery. These fossil fuels are also proving their shortcomings both in economic terms, in relation to the increasing complexity of extraction and reduction in usable reserves, and in environmental terms, in relation to the pollution they produce in order to release their energy.
Numerous types of alternative energy sources to fossil fuels are known, such as the so-called renewable energies. These are capable of producing energy by directly making use of solar radiation, wind power or the pressure of water resources.
A further alternative to the aforesaid energy sources is represented by technologies targeted at the use of carbon based materials to produce energy. These technologies transform organic material into “Syngas”, through a molecular dissociation process, with a simple and modular approach to the problem of waste disposal and of its subsequent transformation into energy. Syngas, or synthesis gas, is a mixture of gases, essentially carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H2), also with the presence of methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) in variable quantities. Technologies such as those for the production of Syngas are therefore capable of transforming the organic material into an excellent energy carrier, greatly reducing, and even eliminating, the environmental impact with respect to treatment of energy sources deriving from fossil fuels. Moreover, the availability of an energy carrier such as Syngas, characterized by high calorific power, allows transformation thereof into steam by means of a boiler and its subsequent use through turbines to produce electrical energy.
Organic substances are formed of complex molecules of carbon, hydrogen and further elements. Solar energy is concentrated in the bonds that form between carbon and hydrogen atoms, fixed through the plant photosynthesis process. Therefore, molecular dissociation produces a breakdown of the aforesaid organic molecules into simpler molecules, usually, as specified, carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen (H2) and methane (CH4). The process for producing said Syngas takes place in a closed environment, at a temperature below 650° C. in the absence of oxygen. The Syngas thus generated can be used to obtain different forms of energy, including thermal energy, by combustion thereof in a boiler, to produce overheated steam for the production of electrical energy by means of a steam turbine or for direct injection in endothermic engines for the production of thermal and/or electrical energy, as occurs for the usual fossil fuels.
US20100275514 describes a system and a process capable of using the energy content of a Syngas produced from biomass material. The system and the process involve compacting of the biomass material and simultaneous introduction thereof into the entrance of a reactor tube, followed by heating of the compacted material in said reactor. The reactor temperature allows breakdown of the organic molecules forming the compacted biomass material, with the formation of ash and a fuel gas mixture, i.e. Syngas.
However, said system does not allow precise control of the breakdown process. Therefore, the formation of residues and ash is high, with loss of further developable Syngas potential. Furthermore, this system does not allow minimizing of the environmental impact, as incomplete transformation of the organic substances in Syngas produces polluting waste. Moreover, said system only allows the production of Syngas from material derived from biomass, i.e. previously subjected to other processes, adapted to eliminate the substances and the non-biomass materials.